Amid celebrations, rain lashes city, brings down temperature

India is said to be the country of nationalists. A country of valour filled with bravehearts. And what better a day can it be to show patriotism than on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day when the citizens of the country hummed to the tunes of deskbhakti songs, remembering both the sung and unsung heroes of India's fight to independence whilst not forgetting the importance of the day.

However, in India, love for the country is not limited to only the citizens. There is a taste of patriotism in every speck of dust, valour in every wave of the seas and intense love for the country even in the raindrops. And this Republic Day, Delhi was yet again reminded of the fact when the sky hung low on the bravehearts who took part in the celebrations on Rajpath when the clouds patiently waited for the parade to get over before they opened the flood gates of rain as if to pay homage to the soul of Amar Jawan and salute the men and women in uniform.

Though Delhiites woke up to a cloudy morning as the minimum temperature was recorded at 12.5 degrees Celsius, heavy rains and thunderstorm lashed the national Capital throughout the day.

Heavy rains and bad weather failed to interrupt the Republic Day celebrations in the city. The parade went on uninterrupted while President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al were present appreciating the show of might.

However, the Flypast, which is a part of the celebration, was slightly affected due to hazy conditions. Meanwhile, the parade and the other sequenced performances received a standing ovation from the audience. Heavy rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants who stood strong against the rain.

While our men and women in uniform sported the ammunitions and other mighty missiles, some in the audience were seen prepared with umbrellas and raincoats to avoid getting wet while others managed to save themselves with the Republic Day brochures.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 18 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average. However, the bad weather caused a lot of chaos on the roads and also caused delay in flight and rail services.

Rail services were affected as 23 trains were reported to be running late by several hours while three were canceled and one was rescheduled. Also, sudden change in the weather and temperature restricted airspace, resulting in delay of over 30 flights arriving or departing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The MeT department had earlier forecast rain in Delhi and adjoining areas between January 25 and 27.

Kavita Shahi, a resident of Roop Nagar said: "There was water logging in the whole area. It is a nuisance to walk on the roads in such a weather."

The rains on Thursday, having made an appearance over Delhi and the NCR region and several parts of the city also caused waterlogging in several parts of the city which largely affected the vehicular movement.

According to weather reports, the threat of rain and thunderstorms will continue on Friday, accompanied by cooler air. Maximum temperature on Friday is expected to reach 19 degrees Celsius and plenty of clouds and a gusty breeze will make the real feel even colder.

"I am very disgusted because of the sudden change in weather. No rain was expected at this time. Driving cars is the worst thing one can do in such a weather where you have puddles all around," said Rohan, a resident of Kamla Nagar.

The Safdarjung observatory, the recording of which is considered the official figure for the city, received 23.7 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, said a MeT department official.

Areas under Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar recorded 28.7 mm, 26.6 mm, 29.3 mm and 26.4 mm rains respectively, the official said.

"The rainfall is due to Western disturbances and the rains will continue throughout the night," said Dr M Mahapatra, Additional DG Services, IMD.